Siemer Milling Donating $1 Million for Work on Grain Quality, Productivity

(From front left: Warren Beeler, Governor's Office of Agricultural Policy; Robert Houtz, UK; David Van Sanford, UK; Rick Siemer, Henry Siemer and Carl Schwinke, all from Siemer Milling.  Back: Lloyd Murdock and Chad Lee, both from UK. Photo by Matt Barton, UK agricultural communications)

Siemer Milling Company is making a donation of $1 million to the University of Kentucky Grain and Forage Center of Excellence to support initiatives to improve grain quality and agronomic productivity of wheat grown in the heart of Siemer Milling’s business footprint.

The new Grain and Forage Center of Excellence will be located at the UK Research and Education Center in Princeton, Kentucky, just 40 miles from Siemer’s Hopkinsville, KY mill that primarily processes wheat supplied by local area growers.

“When the University of Kentucky officials showed me their plans and vision for the Grain and Forage Center and I shared it with our board of directors, they said it sounded like a great idea. A strong relationship with our grower-partners is one of the most important things to our business. Our team is proud to support initiatives that could improve wheat cultivation and growing techniques,” remarks Rick Siemer, President of Siemer Milling Company.

The gift will be given in five annual installments of $200,000 to support the Siemer Milling Company Wheat Production Program Fund. The fund will be used for programming, equipment, outreach, and faculty and student support for the soon-to-be-built Grain and Forage Center of Excellence. A conference center in the new building will also be named the Siemer Milling Company Conference Center.

According to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Dean Nancy Cox, “The agriculture industry in Kentucky has been supportive of our college’s research and outreach efforts for many years. This wonderful gift from Siemer Milling continues this legacy,” she said. “We are very fortunate to have a company in our state that provides a market for our farmers and understands the value of ongoing research and educational efforts.”

Siemer Milling Company is engaged in the creation of grain-based foods that are wholesome, nutritious, and satisfy consumer needs. Its primary product is wheat flour milled to different specifications for the making of such foods as cookies, crackers, cakes, pretzels, batters and breadings, bread and biscuits.

Siemer Milling Company is a 136-year-old family and employee-owned company operating wheat flour mills in Teutopolis, Illinois, West Harrison, Indiana and Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The grain milling company purchases more than 25 million bushels of locally grown wheat and produces 750,000 tons of processed wheat products annually, including flour, wheat bran and wheat germ.